Jaganshi Chronicles
by Areyil
Summary: Following the event of Forever Yu Yu Hakusho, two years pass since the Reikai Tentei disbanded. Hiei is called back to lead an investigation that will send him on an adventure which reveal enigmas of his birth, his mother...and estranged father.
1. Siren

_Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men._— _Lao Tzu_

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Emperor Koenma was only half-asleep in the comfort of his study. He took a moment to yawn and absent-mindedly continued stamping documents and signing his signature on others. He wearily murmured. 

The door gave a gentle knocking. "Emperor Koenma?" said a quiet voice. Botan made a humble entrance, and greeted him politely. Her looked on him painfully with pity.

"Koenma, it's late. Please go to sleep, I'll take care of the paperwork."

"I'm fine Botan." he yawned and wiped his eyes. "Just fine."

"But sir..." She insisted, but sighed. _It's no use._ She thought. _He's too dutiful to listen to reason. _

"The poor thing." She whispered staring at the floor. She became afflicted by the sudden, unexpected visual recollections that followed. _Koenma was forced to arrest his own father, King Enma just two years ago. _She recalled._ Ever since, he's had to take on his own responsibilities with the added burden of his father's._

Botan abandoned her train of thought, hearing a loud snoring. The sovereign had given into his urges and was already fast asleep. Moments passed, and then a minute. Botan smiled warmly, quietly turning to his door to embark. But when she turned, Botan curiously began to notice a tiny tremor rattling Koenma's calligraphy ink closer and closer to the edge of his desk.

He snorted and subconsciously stared up. "Just my imagination...Time for some sleep." Koenma yawned and dozed back into slumber. Moments later, he could have only spoken too expeditiously. The black calligraphy ink abruptly splattered the wooden floor. Betwixt moments, rattling had surcharged into a coercive tossing, and upheaval of his study. Papers flittered from cabinets.

Koenma awoke and bit his pacifier, infuriated. Just from outside his study, Koenma could hear the sudden hollering of his worker ogres. "What the heck's going on around here?" he demanded.

George rushed briskly into his master's anteroom. "Emperor Koenma sir, you called?" He bowed respectfully. And replaced a globe he had carelessly knocked over.

"What's all the racket? I'm trying to work!"

"Why s-sir! That's why I was on my way to see you." George's voice was panicked and oddly frightened. "We're being—well…"

Koenma frowned. "What're you talking about?"

George wasted little time. "Just look at what's outside sir! You won't believe this!" He escorted Koenma and Botan to a high balcony.

The emperor's eyes widened and his face began to sweat. The pacifier in his mouth unwittingly met the ground. "Oh my god..."

Botan gawked and placed her hands on her face. "It's horrible!"

In an instant, the palace beyond anyone's warning looked like a war zone. Outside within its borders, ogre subordinates went scurrying for safety. From veranda, Koenma saw an incursion of explosions on the ground. Some of the unfortunate were thrown high in the air by titanic blasts, and pinned impetuously into trees, walls, or one another. They occurred like helpless ants drowning in an assault of combustion.

"No one's sure why this is happening! What should we do, sir?" the ogre asked.

A sudden ungovernable quake threw everyone off his or her feet, but George managed to ease Koenma's fall. Once Koenma regained his senses, he looked above. "Look!" He ordered. Amongst all the confusion, a staggering number of shadows began to quietly climb to the rooftop. _So, this is just a diversion and set-up! I sense they're up to something, while we're distracted.  
_

Another tremor in the ground stirred Botan to shout, but this time everyone was properly braced. Koenma looked at Botan very sternly. "We have to stop them."

"Yes sir."

"Koenma!" Said an approaching ogre. " Those intruders on the rooftop--They've managed to breach into the royal reliquary!"

"Oh no!" _Our_ t_op-secret archaisms are stored in there_! Koenma reasoned in trepidation. _These imposters, what are they?_ He flew ahead, and up yonder he noticed an elevator.

"Wait, lord Koenma! Lord Koenma! " Botan called far behind him, futilely pounding against the elevator entrance upon its closing.

The elevator quickly passed every floor; Koenma took a step out of the elevator upon its reach to the top. His eyes widened. His face began to sweat. The floor was upturned with superlatively large boulders of broken wall. Debris dusted the air. Unconscious guardsmen matted the marble floor. Koenma heaved breathlessly. "I'm too late!"

Koenma hid behind a column; the scene was incredulously suspicious. _Who are these people, their aura's are so unfamiliar._ He pondered._ It's as if they don't have one at all._

The familiar black suit men surrounded the reliquary. Each bore a pair of soulless eyes. And of them one stood alone, exclusively exhibited in crimson and black. In their palm, admired their illustrious trophy: a golden orb illuminating with veins and crevices. 

Koenma immediately recognized the item's apparent value. "Not _that_ one!" He instantly covered his mouth. He had foolishly earned their attention while he was defenseless.

The rouge cast down the orb, and placed it into a satin pouch. They looked at their men and gave a brief hand gesture.

"Wait!" The majesty exclaimed running towards them. He tripped on a piece of boulder on the floor. Anticipating his presence, the men threw marbles onto the floor that readily exploded in smoke on impact.

Koenma kneeled coughing and breathing for air.

"Emperor Koenma!" Cried some voices. George, and Botan, who had joined him, was amongst other servants that had finally caught up to him. And just as his plight subsided.

"Are you alright Koenma?" Botan asked.

When he looked again where the men had stood as the smoke relieved, he realized that the theives had all vanished. Yet struggling to satisfy the others, he smiled and told her that he was all right.

"Koenma sir, was anything stolen? What happened?" An attendant asked.

Koenma sighed calmly and stomached an ill, straight face. "No. Nothing at all... Nothing happened."

Botan nodded as she gripped the neckline her kimono, watching him suspiciously and perturbed.


	2. Before the Storm

_A dragon will be teased by a shrimp in a shoal water; a tiger will be bullied by a dog on a treeless plain. — Asian Proverb

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In the confines of an affluent, neo classical lodging, a pair of shadows were conversing in dimmed candle lit convenience. The first was tall, and more masculine in shape. The other was smaller and more petite in size.

"And the key?" Said a man's deep voice. "Where is it?"

The other spoke quietly in discretion. "Here. As you requested my lord." The small shadow offered a hand from a satin bag, disclosing a golden, lucent orb.

"You don't disappoint, my disciple. Yet, as you can imagine, our venture is far from urbane." And when he placed his hand into the light to retrieve it, a large red gem flickered on his ring with recognition.

"But I humbly digress. Our entry points lack enough necessary scouting variation for our agents. Fix it."

"Yes. I will, my lord." The disciple placed a hand to their chest and bowed dutifully. The superior gazed into the orb and smiled cooly.

_"Yes finally... Just one key closer to opening the door."_

Meanwhile, Makai was encompassed in attuned trebling of locusts and birds of eventide. The moon was ominous and full, and the trees shushed together with a gentle midsummer's breeze. Below amongst the ground, a composite of patrolmen stood countenance. Addressing their duty with awing skill: Waiting.

An unsightly demon perched his heavy sword behind his back and began to gait to kill the time. He took just a moment to lapse, and looked high into the trees. Above on a branch his overseer rested silently: away, still, and undisturbed. Hiei, was the boy of short stature in colorless, and dark garments. He was like a rock, and no one dared to wake him. The demon gave a "humph" and restarted pacing with a frown.

"T'ere he goes." Said his ghoulish companion. "'Te master Hiei's up 'tere 'gain."

"Humph. Shiftless boy, he's Mukuro's favorite."

His friend laughed forcibly, since there was not anything else he could think to do. "A-Ah! Watch's almost over. We re'reat to th' missus' castle for sake, yes?"

"Umph."

"Be patient, yes?"

The shallow movements of the trees began to recede, until they were completely stiff. And suddenly, sound was silenced and the air was still. Hiei's eyes snapped awake and they lowered, darting in every direction. I sense an energy approaching, an unwelcome one. Looking beneath him, he leapt from his branch landing expertly on his two feet.

"Jaganshi! Sir, what is it?" The demons remarked. "He's never awoken from that spot before..." A demon worriedly whispered to another.

Hiei's eyes began to stare off spontaneously. Then he sheathed his sword defensively, got into stance and ready for a fight. "There's futility in cowardice." He muttered into nothingness "Show yourself."

A silhouette roosted atop a crag nearby. In the shadows it cracked a toothy smile, and used a cloth to cover its face from below the nose. Its fingers clutched upright on a twig, and within a moment a powerful hand had snapped it.

In the same train of sound, a force dove to the ground. Hiei in his stance managed to stay afoot, and shielded his face of the approaching gust of dirt and wind.

"What the heck is that?" A demon stammered.

Upon the dust resolved, a presence materialized crouching on their knees. A crater existed beneath their feet. It stood up and stared at the boy. A quandary wearing a black and red body suit.

"Who the hell are you?" Hiei demanded. "This is forbidden land."

_"I will not leave."_ It's voice whispered. _"I have come... to come to Nigenkai. And..."_ The notability pointed its finger. _"To see you, Hiei."_

"Hn. I will not spare your life again. Leave!"

_"I will not."_

"You have sentenced yourself to death. No one passes this gate." The men regrouped behind Hiei, stammering and trembling with fear. He exchanged a glance to his right and muttered: "Beat it."

Crying out responsively the demons yelled for their lives, leaving him behind.

Hiei watched the figure carefully. It stood patiently postured with their hands simply at their sides.

Within the flicker of an instant, a streak of black and red lunged at Hiei from the crater. He blocked with his sword instinctively, as the rebus simultaneously struck with a dagger. He backed away, far enough to swipe his sword. The adversary jumped onto his blade through alarming speed. The boy retrieved his weapon. Causing the enemy to back flip into a tree.

But they were not distracted by the acceleration, managing to land on the tree with their feet and used it to propel forward in midair. They derived several scanty blades from underneath their hands, and threw them precisely towards their opponent.

Hiei swiped his sword at skillfully right aim. The blades pierced the ground defeated. The red and black suited character stood a great distance away from him, chuckling quietly.

_"This... spar was exhilarating, Hiei."_

Hiei dismissed the insult.

The intruder continued. _"But as I've learned, there is often an end to sweet things. Time..."_ they said snapping their fingers.

_"Is short."_ The daggers at Hiei's feet exploded, and an exalted mist supervened. Hiei allowed it to swallow him, a fatal mistake. He looked for any sign of approaching. But suddenly, his knees collapsed, and the boy grabbed the back of his head. Something was certainly wrong. His eyes began to fight exhaustion. "This is… gas."

_"Perceptive. It is also very potent."_ Said a voice from somewhere.

_"I shall go to Nigenkai as promised. We shall meet again. Heheheh and, promise me..."_

An identity leaped through the mist for him, but the mist began to disable his senses and concentration. _"You will become much stronger." _The figure struck out a hand, and Hiei's world became darkness.

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Questions? Suggestions? Requests? R&R please, and thank you.  



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